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McGill owner Graeme Carling breaks silence on Dundee firm’s collapse

Graeme Carling, chief executive of United Capital.
Graeme Carling, chief executive of United Capital.

Graeme Carling, the owner of Dundee construction firm McGill, has described his disappointment at the firm’s collapse.

Workers were informed at lunchtime on Thursday that McGill Facilities Management Limited is now in administration.

It follows weeks of uncertainty and speculation, since The Courier revealed at the start of August that the firm had given notice of its intention to appoint administrators.

Until now, Mr Carling has not commented on McGill’s troubles, which he said was to allow a legal process to take place.

But he has now given a statement describing the administration as “hugely disappointing”.

Graeme Carling’s statement in full

Mr Carling said: “It is hugely disappointing that McGill finds itself in this position again, three and a half years after we acquired it out of administration.

“It has been frustrating not being able to speak about the situation over the past few weeks, as we respected the legalities of the restructuring process that was undertaken by the McGill chief executive and his team.

Graeme Carling, chief executive of United Capital, the ultimate owner of McGill.

“As an investment company, United Capital took a chance knowing it would be difficult and high risk under normal conditions.

“Despite millions of pounds of investment, and fully backing the McGill management board, the unprecedented challenges of the past few years proved too difficult to overcome.

“We managed to secure many of the employees jobs within our other businesses, and are happy some of the employees have committed to take forward their division of the business on their own.”

Initial hopes buying McGill

McGill previously went into administration in January 2019, with the loss of 400 jobs.

Around six weeks later Mr Carling invested around £1 million to purchase the McGill name and assets, including the company’s headquarters in Harrison Road.

Initially acting as McGill’s chief executive, the firm started to win several multi-million-pound deals.

Through his investment company United Capital he purchased several other construction firms including Alliance Electrical of Forfar and Cupar’s Kingdom Gas Services.

McGill managing director Errol Lawrie and United Capital chief executive Graeme Carling with David Kennedy and David Robbbie from The McDougall Group.

In October 2020 he said his ultimate aim was to own firms producing revenues of £500 million a year.

Meanwhile Errol Lawrie, formerly the chief executive of Alliance Electrical, became McGill CEO when the companies merged in April 2021.

A company spokesman previously said its bank withdrawing its support had led to its troubles.

Mr Carling, who owns United Capital with wife Leanne, was best known as a landlord before buying McGill.

Last year he told The Courier that both his parents had died on the same day in different Dundee hospitals from Covid-19.

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